New leaf
by HappyfFruit
Summary: Sometimes people snap. Even shy little bluenettes. See what happens when our favorite little hyuuga has had enough, and a certain redhead gets the shock of a lifetime. OOC
1. Chapter 1

Today was the day. Everything had been leading up to this. Hinata sat fidgeting in her seat surrounded by the rest of the rookie nine, and the sand siblings who were in town to celebrate the fire works festival that would take place later that evening. Everything was perfect. Today was the day she was going to confess her feelings to Naruto.

If everything went according to plan in just a few short hours she'd be sitting next to none other than the blonde boy with big dreams during the big show.

The others were engaging in light conversation while Hinata poked at her plate trying to figure out exactly what she would say. A light squeeze to her arm jerked her from her thoughts. Her startled eyes met a reassuring a gaze from Kiba, which hardened her resolve.

Her gentle features took on a look of determination and with that she was on her feet. In the heat of the moment her sudden movements were a bit too rough causing her chair to fall backwards and land on the floor with a loud thud. She had successfully gained the attention of everyone in the room.

With all eyes on her she flushed a deep shade of scarlet. It took all of her willpower not to right her chair and sit back down. She willed herself to meet the eyes of the hyperactive blonde that was the object of affection.

"Naruto-kun. I..."

She tried again.

"I have something to tell you."

She was met with silence. Everyone was staring at her with anticipation. No turning back now.

"I love you"

The boy blinked in shock. He wasn't the only one. Everyone stared on in awe aside her two teammates. Even she was surprised. She had said it! Just as soon as a small smile had begun to grace her lips Naruto started to speak.

"Hinata-chan I'm sorry. My heart belongs to Sakura."

Hinata's face fell. She felt her heart drop. But just before the pain could set in she felt something else. A feeling that was foreign to her. She couldn't quite place it. It bubbled in her guts. The room turned cold. Before she knew it, it was spewing out of her mouth. Her shy demeanor quickly forgotten.

"You're kidding right. You are telling me that you're turning me down for that flat chested pink haired no good traitor loving tramp? The same girl who's always turned her nose up at you?" Her voice had risen to a shout.

She then let out a string of profanities that'd make a sailor blush. To everyone's horror she began going around the table.

"Sai you're an asshole"

Sai remained expressionless.

"Ino you're self absorbed"

Ino rolled her eyes in response

"Shikamaru you're so lazy it's pathetic"

Shikamaru accepted It with a shrug

"Choji you need a diet"

Choju paused with his chop sticks in the air before continuing to eat unfazed by her comment.

"Neji you should see a doctor about getting that stick removed from your ass."

A look of rage crossed the prodigies features.

"TenTen, I can't for the life of me figure out just what it is you see in my cousin. "

TenTen colored in response.

"Lee, for gods sake Lee burn that damn leotard."

Tears streamed from the taijutsu users eyes.

When her eyes fell upon Gaara, who had been seated next to her, she stopped for a brief moment.

"And you."

She said very sternly. Gaara's eyes widened. What could he possibly done to invoke this tiny girls wrath? He had never even spoken to her.

Before he could even realize what was happening she had an iron like grip on the front of his shirt, and was planting a rough kiss on his very own lips. Seconds passed before she slammed him back into his seat.

At that she turned to face her audience, raised both of her fist, and with the meanest look that had ever been on her face flipped them all double birds. Then she pivoted towards the door, and stormed off, kickinug up hell behind her.

A short time later hinata found herself sitting atop the hokage monument with her head in her hands. Sobs wracked her body. All of her friends probably hated her, she made a complete fool of herself in front of everyone, and Naruto didn't return her feelings. Not to mention the whole thing with the kazekage. They'd probably get her for assault.

But at the very least she didn't say anything bad about her teammates or offend the other two Sabaku siblings. Even though she was sure they thought she was crazy. Way to go Hinata. Ruin everybody's night. That thought brought on a fresh wave of sobs.

The snapping of a twigs startled her and she whipped around to see the very same kazekage who occupied her thoughts moments before. She was mortified.

He was a good five feet away. She stood up and began walking toward him. At this he visibly tensed. Once she was about a foot or two away she thrust out both her arms in front of her and put her head down.

Gaara was puzzled. His face contorted in confusion. This girl really was... interesting to say the least. When nothing happened Hinata dared to steal a glance. Gaara noticed then her tear stained face. She had been crying? Gaara had now idea what to expect.

"What are you doing?" Gaara ask. The bewilderment evident in his voice. Hinata jumped at the sound.

"You've come to a..arrest me haven't you?" She murmured.

"Arrest you for what?" Gaara almost laughed.

"Assault" Her voice was very quiet now. Gaara almost didn't hear.

Gaara didn't answer. Instead he took in her appearance for the first time; Midnight hair, lavender eyes, delicate features. The way she glowed in the moonlight was stunning. She was beautiful. A beautiful puzzle. Gaara then decided that he liked the girl. It was Gaara who broke the silence.

"Naruto is an idiot." Gaara muttered. And with that he took his leave.

Hinata watched him slip into darkness. What on earth was that about? She didn't feel like trying to figure it out at the moment though. She was far too tired both physically and emotionally, the day's events finally taking their toll. Instead she trudged back home, eyes down cast. fireworks lighting the way. So much for going according to plan.

AUTHORS NOTES

Hello. This my first time writing. I'm sure it doesn't flow well and has a bunch of grammatical errors and typos, but it is currently 6 am. I have not slept. If anyone bothers to read this and there are any glaring mistakes I'd very much appreciate it for someone to let me know. Also constructive criticism is very much welcome.


	2. Chapter 2

Sunshine filtering through the blinds is what caused the hyuuga hime to stir. She slowly opened her eyes. After laying in bed for a few minutes she sat up and stretched like a cat. Soon her short lived bliss was interrupted as the events of the previous day came rushing back to her. Surely it had been a dream.

At that thought she rose to her feet and made her way to her closet. Once she was satisfied with what she picked out, her usual shinobi pants, mesh undershirt, and thick jacket, she began the process of showering.

Afterwords she raked a brush through her hair, and made her way down stairs to find something for breakfast. In the kitchen none other than Neji Hyuuga was seated at the table, and by the look on his face, the night before had definitely not been a dream.

The older hyuuga opened his mouth to speak but before he had a chance Hinata snagged a granola bar and was out the door.

The streets of konoha were busy as always. Not really sure where she was going she started to make her way to the center of town.

There was a cafe around the corner from the hokage tower that caught her eye so she ducked into there. It hadn't been there very long. It was very cozy. There were tealights on the table and the chalk board menu was hung above the counter.

She studied the menu a few moments before approaching the counter and ordered a cup of jasmine tea. Hinata have never really cared much for coffee. Once she was situated at her table she took a deep inhale of the soothing drink and let out a long sigh. She sure did need this. If only she had thought to grab a good book.

At that moment her ears picked up on a familiar voice and her serenity was shattered. Across the room at the counter was none other than the red headed kazekage ordering something with enough caffeine to kill a horse. She just could not catch a break.

She sunk into her seat. 'Please don't see me, please don't see me, please don't see me' she repeated in her head. But much to her dismay as he turned around to find a seat he spotted her and matched her gaze.

Hinata quickly adverted her eyes and pretended she hadn't seen him. The bluenett then begun begging the gods in heaven that he would not come this way. But apparently no such gods were listening because sure enough Gaara came right in her direction and took the empty seat just across from her. Damn the luck.

It took what seemed like an eternity for Gaara to situate himself. He then met her eyes and broke the silence.

"What are you having?"

It took Hinata a whole minute to give the boy a response.

"J..Jasmine tea."

Gaara only grunted in reply, then brung his over caffeinated beverage to his lips, had a long swig, and sat it back on to the table. Hinata watched his movements with suspicious eyes. There were plenty of empty tables around the cafe. Hell they were just about the only people in there. Just what could he want with her? Unbeknownst to Hinata, she was about to find out.

"Why did you kiss me?" Gaara said simply, as though discussing the weather.

Hinata sputtered in response, her cheeks colored, and her brain went 100 miles a minute trying to give him an answer. He only waited and looked on with mild amusement.

"I..I.."she tried.

Why had she given her first kiss to Suna's widely known and widely feared leader? Had she had a death wish? No, it wasn't that. If she was being honest the kazekage was very good looking. If at all possibly her face turned an even darker shade of red, all the while Gaara watched the gears turn behind her eyes.

Finally Hinata reached a conclusion. She had kissed him because she thought he was cute. That startling revelation was just too much for the hyuuga heiress. Without warning she slumped over in a dead faint.

Gaara blinked owlishly for a few seconds before he was on his feet desperately trying to rouse the young girl. After about twenty minutes or so the red head had given up. He lifted her up bridal style, stepped out of the cafe and turned in the direction of the hyuuga manor. He had only been there once on business, he hoped he could still find it.

After a few wrong turns, and numerous strange looks he had finally made it. He fumbled with the unconscious girl until he had freed one hand long enough to rap on the large door. After a few moments it was answered by the clan head, Hiashi hyuuga.

"Ah, kazekage-Sama what brings you h..." The stern man stopped once he caught sight of what, or who rather Gaara held in his arms. Before the red head could be assaulted with a string of questions he stepped through the door and made his way down the long hall eventually finding a maid. Leaving Hiashi to stand there gaping.

The maid kindly informed him he had been going in the wrong direction, and offered to take him to the small hyuuga's room. The entire trip the maid was poorly hiding her curiosity, but not daring to ask the once famed killer a single question.

Once he made it into Hinata's room he sat her down on her bed with more gentleness and grace than he ever knew he had. He took a few minutes to take in the shy girls features once more. He noted the gentle rise and fall of her chest and the way her lips rested in a small pout.

This reminded him of the kiss she had took in the restaurant. He found he enjoyed the fire that had been in her that day. He quickly decided that he wouldn't mind having her kiss him like that once more, and something swirled in his belly that was new to him.

He quickly dismissed the thought and turned his attention to the small kunoichi's room. Around her vanity were pictures of her as a child, her with her team, and her with her friends. All of which she look very happy and very cute. Gaara couldn't help but smile. Something he hadn't found himself doing in quite some time.

After a few minutes Gaara readied himself for the door, but not before a small note pad grabbed his attention. He leaned over jotting something down and then showed himself out of the hyuuga manor uninterrupted. The small smile not leaving his lips.

AHTHORS NOTES

Hello everyone. Thank you for reading my story. I really appreciate the follows and reviews. Please let me know what you think. Again constructive criticism is appreciated, and feel free to point out mistakes!


	3. Chapter 3

It was late evening when Hinata finally came around. She sat up and scanned the room a tad bit disoriented. It took quite some time for her surroundings to register. Once she realized where she was she began to wonder how she got there.

She begun reviewing her memories of the last few hours. She had been at the cafe, enjoying her tea, and Gaara had shown up. At the thought of the young kazekage the girl colored. Their brief conversation, if it could be called that, came floating back to her.

Deciding she'd rather not dwell on it she rose to her feet and made her way to her vanity intending on brushing her hair. The simple action always seemed to calm the young kunoichi down. As she glanced down to get her brush, her note pad caught her attention.

There, written in very pristine hand writing was a note signed by the red head himself. It read 'dear Hinata, as the kazekage of Suna, I respectfully request your presence along with my comrades at the main gate tomorrow to see me off. We are leaving at 0700. I would like for you to be there at 0645. - Gaara Sabaku.' Hinata quickly decided she needed air.

The girl tore through the house making her way to the door, only she wasn't quite as lucky as Gaara, because there blocking her path was a very angry Hiashi Hyuuga. Hinata froze.

"Would you mind telling me why Suna's Kazekage was carrying you home? Or why I had to console your sobbing cousin because you had told him he has a stick up his rear?" Hiashi's voice was deadly.

But Hinata was in no mood. Instead of cowering and apologizing profusely as per usual the girl stood tall. She felt the not so foreign feeling from the day before slither into its claimed territory in her lower belly. She gave the man she use to fear a mean glare.

"Yes, I do mind. Now if you'll excuse me I'm sure Neji won't mind referring you to his surgeon. " Hinata growled, before rudely pushing past him and making her way to the door.

Hiashi stood there in shock. What on earth had gotten into that girl? He must be losing his touch. That or the girl had finally found the infamous hyuuga temper. Judging by the slam of the door it had to be the latter. He couldn't help but be proud.

Hinata was speed walking down the street. As she started to cool off the reality of what she had done started to sink in. She had stood up to her father! He would be livid when she got home. All at once however, her fathers words hit her like a ton of bricks. Both his and her anger forgotten. She stopped walking.

So that's how she had gotten home! Her face flushed red and she reached up to place her hand on it. Gaara had carried her the whole nine blocks home. Which for a shinobi, especially the kazekage, that would by no means be a difficult task. But the idea that he had taken the time to carry her all the way home, and then faced her father made the girls eyes light up.

Majority of the time people just left her be. It wasn't an uncommon sight to see the young Hyuuga unconscious in various places around the village. At first it gave many of the villagers a shock, but over time they had all grown use to it, and let her come around in her own time.

Naruto's voice is what brought the young girl back to reality. He was shouting to passerby's that he had finally gotten Sakura to agree to a date. When she looked up she noted that the pink haired girl was walking awkwardly next to him half hiding her face in shame.

Hinata found that the sight didn't bother her so much. The two were headed her way and she quickly decided that she would stay put and attempt an apology to the pair. After all she didn't really mean what she said, even though it was at least half true. When the pair approached her however, they attempted to give her a wide birth pretending not to notice that she stood there.

"Sakura-San, Naruto-kun" she called out.

The pair stopped dead in their tracks. When they turned to face her the embarrassment and apprehension was clear on their faces.

"Hinata-chan" Naruto returned.

"I..I just wanted to apologize for yesterday. I didn't mean it. Enjoy your date. " Hinata blurted.

The blonde and the cherry haired teens exchanged glances. It was Sakura who spoke.

"That's okay Hinata-chan. I myself have a notorious temper. It's just that nobody knew you had it in you."

Naruto nodded in agreement. Hinata smiled. That wasn't nearly as difficult as she thought. At that she bid the two a quick goodbye and begun making her way back home. Maybe she hadn't loved the blonde like she believed. Simple infatuation was much more likely. She decided if the boy was happy she could be happy for him.

It was dinner time when she made it back to the hyuuga manor. Once she remembered how angry her father would be she shut the door as quietly as possible. She then begun making her way through the hyuuga household being as quiet as she could. But not quiet enough for the well trained ears of Hiashi hyuuga.

"Hinata-chan, could you please come here?" The man called.

There was no hint of anger in his voice. Hinata dared to follow the sound. Once she rounded the corner into the kitchen and dining area she stopped. Seated at the head of the table was her father, and spread out down the beautiful mahogany was all of the heiresses favorite foods.

"What's going on?" He could hear the fear in her voice.

"Nothing sweetheart." Sweetheart? That was new.

"What's with all the food?" She ask.

"Only the best for my daughter. Come have a seat."

It was then she notice Hanabi's usual spot that he was gesturing to was empty, and that the younger girl was seated next to neji. Both of them were glaring daggers at her. Also, since when had she been 'his daughter'? Something weird was going on for sure. Hinata slowly made her way to the spot, and sat down without making a sound. Hiashi spoke causing the blunette to jump.

"I'm very proud of you Hinata. For standing up to me today."

Hinata only nodded, still freaked out by the whole ordeal. Instead of trying to make conversation she filled her plate with an assortment of delicious delicacies. Her father had really went all out. It was then Hanabi decided to have her turn. Her voice obnoxiously rung through the dining room.

"Like this weakling has ever done anything noteworthy."

At that Nejis face turned fearful. He tried to get the youngest hyuuga to stop before she triggered another fit of rage from the once timid teen, but after he caught sight of her face he realized it was far too late. Before anyone had time to react Hinata stood up and gave her younger sibling as very harsh slap across her cheek. The sound of the smack bounced off the walls.

"Don't you ever speak of me like that again" Hinata hissed.

Then took her seat and resumed her meal as nothing happened. Hanabi could only gawk and hold her stinging cheek. Hiashi on the other hand was crying. He was so proud of his eldest.

The rest of dinner continued without incident. Hinata went to help tidy up as usual but her father insisted she let the maids handle it. At that Hinata went into her room and prepared for bed. She made sure to set her alarm clock for the appropriate time, knocked out a couple chapters of the book she'd been reading, and finally she got some sleep. The whole night her dreams were filled with a certain kazekage.

AUTHORS NOTES.

Hello everyone. Sorry that Gaara wasn't in this chapter. But I promise I have something pretty big planned for the next one. As always reveiws and constructive criticism is very welcome. See you next time.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning Hinata awoke to the shrill sound of her alarm clock. She was all nerves. It was a formal request so it wasn't as though she could just stay home. She approached her closet and thumbed through the fabric. Since it was formal perhaps she should wear something nice.

Her eyes landed on a white sundress that had belonged to her mother. That should do just fine. She snagged it off the hanger and begun her morning routine.

Fifteen minutes later she stood in front of her mirror examining her appearance. The ruffled garment showed off way more skin than the heiress was comfortable with, but if she changed now she would surely be late, so with that she took her leave.

When the hyuuga arrived at the gate there was nobody in sight. She was looking around when a soft thud behind her caused the kunoichi to jump. She whirled around towards the sound only to come face to face with the kazekage. They were so close she could count his individual eyelashes. Hinata turned pink. Some time had passed before Gaara spoke. His voice barely above a whisper.

"You look beautiful."

She quickly went from pink to tomato red. Surely he was just being nice. Hinata politely gave him a response.

"You as well kazekage-sama"

He frowned.

"Please don't call me that. Gaara will do just fine."

"Okay..Gaara-San" She tried.

That was much better. A small smile tugged at the corners of Gaara's mouth. Hinata immediately took notice. It was the very first time she had ever seen him smile. It made her heart race and her cheeks burn even hotter.

The sand wielder crafted a bench with his own deadly weapon at the simple flick of his wrist. He gestured to the new creation and spoke softly.

"Would you like to have a seat?"

The girl nodded, eyes wide at the how easily the red head was able to form something so complex. It looked as though it was done by someone who was very skilled with carving. There were flowers along the bottom and it even strongly resembled wood.

Before dotting on the train of thought much longer the girl sat down very gently as if she were scared her weight would destroy the delicate looking thing. Gaara followed suit only without nearly as much care. Hinata could've sworn she heard him chuckle at her.

The seat stood in comfortable silence for a while simply drinking in one another's appearance. Hinata found it calming that she didn't have to fill the empty air with awkward conversation. She had never been good at that. She could tell that aside from his mandatory political speaking abilities, he hadn't been either. For the first time she dared not to hate that aspect of herself, feeling as though the simple trait connected them somehow.

She turned to face the boy in question. He looked very brave. Was something wrong? Before she could ask he turned his serious eyes onto her, and ever so slowly placed his lips on her forehead. Hinata almost didn't feel it. All she could do was sit there. She was stunned. Her brain was once again going too quickly for her formulate coherent thoughts.

"Did Gaara just kiss Hinata?"

Everything came to a screeching halt. Hinata turned towards the gate to see not only Naruto, who had been the one to speak, but also the rest of the rookie nine and the kazekage's siblings. They were all, once again, staring on in shock.

Hinata couldn't take this. Boy this just wasn't her week. The girl suddenly sprung to her feet and made a mad dash for the woods, startling everyone. Gaara immediately moved to chase after her, but felt a hand on his shoulder stopping him. He turned to see his older brother, Kankuro was the one stopping him.

"We don't have time." The elder boy said sympathetically.

Gaara turned to face his cheery blonde friend who stared at him in confusion. Gaara sighed in defeat and begun to speak.

"Naruto, promise me you'll make sure she makes it home safely."

Naruto straightened up and gave his best nice guy pose.

"You got it Gaara!" The blondes voice boomed.

Gaara nodded and was grateful.

"Tell her I'll write."

That was the last thing the young kazekage said before turning to make his way back home. Kankuro and Temari kept concerned eyes on the youngest sibling. The rookie nine minus one split to search for the once most timid member. Gaara looked over his shoulder until the massive gate was nothing but a speck. How he hated to go back.

AUTHORS NOTES

Hey guys. Sorry this chapters a bit shorter. I now know exactly where this fic is headed and I'm very excited to update again. If all goes well I will see you tomorrow.

Also, I got a review I just wanted to address. A guest said that they didn't like that Hinata smacked Hanabi. I'm sorry I made you feel uncomfortable, but in my personal opinion Hanabi can hold her own. Siblings fight and hit each other, and as with the background of my fic she was simply getting a taste of her own medicine. I probably should've explained that better in the previous chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

Hinata ran until she could run no more. Once she had finally stopped she looked around and found herself in a small clearing. Finally she was alone. Maybe now she'd be able figure this whole mess out. She begun laying out the facts.

Gaara had just kissed her. Almost everyone she knows saw. She was so embarrassed and confused so she sprinted. She left the kazekage without saying goodbye. 'Damn it Hinata' she curse herself. That was extremely rude.

But now, getting down to business, why had the red head kissed her? It must've been a fluke of some sort. It's not like it was even a remote possibility that he had feelings for her. Perhaps if she was as pretty as Sakura or Ino. Maybe he was just getting revenge from the other day or wanted to see her freak out. That line of thinking made the heiresses heart ache.

She shouldn't have ran. It seemed like these days she spent a lot of time avoiding things. It'd probably be best if she headed home now. Take a nice relaxing bath and try to get the day's events out of her head.

She activated her byakugan to see exactly where she was. She was about a half a mile from the main road going into konoha. She was a pretty good ways from the gate itself, but at least she didn't have to go back through the woods. With that she spring into the direction of the road pumping chakra into her legs.

Once she had reached the road she leaped out without bothering to look either way. As a ninja that's not a very good practice, nor is it a very good practice in general. The kunoichi found that out all too late. She smacked into something hard. It felt like she hit something made entirely of metal and on the way down her ankle rolled harshly in a direction it was not meant to go causing her to cry out in pain.

She looked up in shock only to find Gaara mirroring her expression. A cascade of sand fell onto her clothes and the ground surrounding the two. Her eyes flickered in recognition as she remembered the inch thick sand armor the kazekage covered himself with during the chunin exams. No wonder it hurt so much when they collided.

The kunoichi made a move to untangle herself from him only to fall back to the ground with a whimper in pain after attempting to put weight on the ankle. She looked down only to find it badly sprained. Gaara gently ran his fingers over the quickly swelling appendage causing her to cry out once more. A look of concern the kunoichi did not miss made its way onto his rough features.

"Can you heal it?" He ask quietly.

"Usually yes, but I used too much chakra running"

Gaara only nodded. He couldn't use healing jutsu at all. He spent all his time training to do the exact opposite. Without another thought he picked the small girl up in his strong arms watching in mild amusement as she blushed a deep red. She attempted to protest but he quickly interjected, walking as he spoke.

"There is no way you can make it back to the village like this."

"But won't you get in trouble for not returning to Suna on time?" She argued.

Now that was true. The council will probably have his hide no matter what excuse his siblings came up with. They were adamantly against him turning back without them, but once he pointed out that if none of them showed up on time they would declare a state of emergency, they reluctantly agreed to let him to go.

"Don't worry about that, I can take care of myself." He assured her.

The hyuuga heiress made no move to press the matter further, but she didn't attempt to hide her pout either. Gaara's eyes widened at this before a small smile touched his lips. She was just too cute. His smile quickly turned into a mischievous grin.

"If you keep doing that your face will get stuck." He teased.

Hinata flushed. Had Gaara just made a joke at her expense? If she hadn't been there herself she wouldn't have believed it. She matched his gaze and gave him a grin of her own.

"Is that why you always look so angry Gaara-San?" She said sweetly.

Gaara laughed. Before he realized it they came upon the rookie nine who had been regrouping to better search for the girl he held in his arms. It was almost getting to the point where they didn't even bother with surprise at the two anymore. But even still Naruto ask almost comically.

"Did Gaara just laugh?"

The blonde was starting to think he was going crazy. Gaara unconsciously tightened his grip on the girl fearing she'd attempt to bolt again. Instead she just hid her face behind the makeshift curtain that was her hair. Gaara spoke for the both of them.

"Sakura-San, Hinata-chan hurt her ankle. Can you heal her?"

The pink haired kunoichi quickly moved to examine her injury. Nobody missed the familiar honorific the kazekage had used, except maybe Lee. Naruto didn't even ask this time.

As Sakura worked the rest of the group went their separate ways save for Neji, who was intent on making sure the heiress made it home, Naruto, who was planning to bid his friend goodbye once more, and a certain gossiping Yamanaka, the gears in her mind hard at work.

Ino stared hard at the two. Taking note that Gaara had yet to put her down. It was obvious the kazekage and the hyuuga had feelings for each other. The two were probably just way too socially retarded to tell the feelings were mutual, if they even knew they felt that way themselves. She begun hatching a plot.

Once Sakura had finished healing Hinata, Gaara sat her on her feet treating her as though she was made of glass. He put on his best diplomat voice.

"Sakura, thank you for healing Hinata." He then turned to neji.

"I am to understand you will be escorting Hinata home?"

Neji nodded.

"I trust she is in good hands" Gaara stated.

He then turned to the girl in question.

"Come see me in Suna."

Hinata nodded. It sounded more like an order then a request. Had Hinata not liked the idea she would've put him in his place, but she decided to let this one go. Lastly the kazekage bid them all farewell and begun the long journey home, this time not as against the idea as before.

Sakura, Ino, and to the two kunoichi's dismay, Naruto made their way back to the village. But Hinata stayed and watched until Gaara was out of sight. Her older cousin waiting patiently behind her. Once he was gone the two pale eyed teens made their way back home, the mid day sun burning hot on their backs. Neither of them attempted conversation.

AUTHORS NOTES

Hey guys sorry for the late update. I made some fan art though. Hopefully that makes up for it. I'll leave a link on my profile. Also the part where about Sakura and Ino being prettier is her thoughts. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Reviews and constructive criticisms are very much appreciated. Thank you to those who did for previous chapters. See you guys next time!

Also to anyone who lives some place where they are showing the boruto movie, you're incredibly lucky!


	6. Chapter 6

It had been nearing two weeks since the kazekage had left for home. The young bluenette still hadn't heard from him. That in itself was probably more her own fault than anyone else's. The letter she had rewritten time and time again still sat on her vanity unmailed. He was a busy man. Who is she to think he'd have time for her. At the very least relations on the home front had settled into something somewhat normal. Some things better even. Hanabi no longer blatantly disrespected her and their father had actually become nice.

A small rapping on the door brought the heiress back to planet earth. She got up like her legs were made of concrete and made her way to the door. When she opened it she was puzzled to find the maid standing there.

"Hinata-sama, you have a visitor. It's-" the maid was cut off by a loud voice and all hinata saw was light blonde.

"Hinata-chan~ We are having a girls night!" Ino sounded obnoxiously.

The young Yamanaka invited herself into the bluenettes room. Hinata made a move to protest but the blonde was already packing the smaller girls bag. Not having the energy to argue and with nothing better to do the hime reluctantly agreed.

The walk to Ino's was quick, hot, and uneventful. For that the hyuuga was grateful. When they had reached their destination hinata was surprised to see that TenTen and Sakura were already there and settled. This made her slightly suspicious but she decided not to entertain such thoughts. As the others engaged in light chit chat hinata found a spot for her belongings and nestled herself on her own patch of carpet.

As the night progessed things went along smoothly with the usual; facials, makeovers, manicures, and all the hot gossip from around konoha. Hinata found she was enjoying herself even if it make her no never mind what Anko and Kakashi had been doing behind the hokage tower. Hinata had been carefully painting hearts on her toes tuning in and out of the conversation as the other girls talked about their crushes. All at once she heard Ino's voice ring out.

"So hinata, what's with you and Gaara-kun?"

The poor girl visibly jumped and smeared her toe nail polish. Oh no. Oh no no no. She should've known they would ask. How was she suppose to answer something like that?

"I-I don't know.." She murmured lamely.

"Well do you like him?" It was TenTen who spoke. Her voice gentle and not demanding like a certain blonde.

Hinata colored. She was strongly considering bolting for the door. Sakura was in her way though and the pinkette would surly catch her. She was going to have to answer. Again she was faced with the reality of not knowing what to say. She thought it best to just be honest. And so she was.

"Yes.. But it's not like he'd want anything to do with me. He's busy. He's powerful. He could have anyone that he wanted."

Tears clouded her vision. It was true and she knew it. But that's just the way things were and she'd have to face it. Better now than to get her hopes up and embarrass herself again. This time with the leader of a county.

Ino snorted. "Girl are you blind? He totally has the hots for you. I know those hyuuga eyes are good but they must not be that good!"

Hinata looked on in shock. She didn't know weather to roll her eyes or leap with joy. Sakura then piped up.

"She's right Hinata! You should totally give it a shot." The pinkette encouraged. TenTen nodded in agreement.

"You know what? You're right! It's not like I have anything to lose." Hinata breathed as her features took on a look of determination.

The rest of the night the girls laughed and talked and ended up falling asleep to some crappy romcom. In the morning Sakura had an early shift at the hospital and ino had to be at the flower shop, so they all bid farewells and made their separate ways. Hinata just itching to mail that letter. So she made her way home to do just that.

Meanwhile, in the hokage tower Sakura sat in front of her mentor. The busty woman arched her brow in amusement as Sakura made Hinatas case. She told her everything from the restaurant up until now and the hokages face went from shocked to finally resting in a sympathetic expression.

" and that's why I think you should send Hinata to Suna instead of Neji tsunade-sama" Sakura finished. The sanin slumped back in thought.

"I don't know. This mission is important for Suna and Konoha relations and if things go bad then we could be looking at war." The pig tailed woman pondered.

"With all due respect hokage-sama, Hinata is a capable kunoichi and Gaara is the Kazekage. They both can handle themselves." Sakura argued.

"Fine. But you have to do my paperwork for a week and you owe me sake." Tsunade caved.

Sakura smiled. "Thank you! I'll go and get here now!" The bubblegum girl was on her feet. Before she could reach the door the blonde spoke once more.

"Sakura, don't make me regret this." Tsunade's voice was stern and her eyes hard.

Sakura gave a quick nod and left the sanin to ponder what just happened. With that tsunade turned to look out the open window. What was she going to do with these damn kids. At the same time though this sort of relationship could strengthen konoha Suna relations like never before. Or at least, that's exactly what she'd tell Hiashi when he's having a fit in her office later.

Hinata had been standing at the mailbox for a good hour now when the pinkette appeared beside her seemingly from nowhere. She jumped at the sight and jammed the envelope into her weapons pouch.

"Hinata, you have summons for a mission. Pack for an extended stay and report to the hokage tower in one hour. Be sure to pack nice clothes. It's a diplomatic mission." Sakura beamed at the girl.

Hinata nodded and leap towards home. That sure wasn't much time to pack for suck a long mission. And wasn't it neji that they usually sent for things like that? Why the girl was so happy about it confused Hinata even more. None the less she made her way towards home and begun shoving essentials into her pack.

AUTHORS NOTES

Sorry it's been so long guys. Enjoy.


	7. Chapter 7

Hinata had managed to pack and bid her family fairwell in the appropriate amount of time. On her way to the hokage tower she stopped and with a deep breath to steady herself she dropped the letter in the mailbox. She wouldn't have time to do it later. She just wouldn't think about it and hopefully when she got back home she would have a return letter. Having something to look forward to she tucked the whole thing in the back of her mind and continued on her way.

When she reached office Tsunade looked pretty pleased with herself and Hinata was starting to get the feeling that something was up, but she brushed the thought off and smiled at the older woman. Tsunade handed her a scroll detailing the mission and sighed.

"Okay hinata-chan. You are headed to suna to discuss trade agreements with ths kazekage and his council. Some of these old stiffs are gonna give you a hard way to go so its going to take a bit to work out something agreeable for everyone. What we are offering is written in the scroll. This is a very important mission so do your best" The hokage finished and took a long swig from her sake cup.

The whole time she was talking Hinatas blood roared in her ears. She felt sick and light headed. Somewhere deep down the kunoichi in her took over and she nodded firmly on pure instinct and made her way in the appropriate direction. She was completely numb as she left. Able to somehow put any emotions she had to the side and simply do what was required for the time being.

Unfortunately that didnt last. She was about halfway to suna when all the worry, anxiety, and nerves hit her with full force. She found a tree and sat trying to pull herself out of the anxiety attack she was having. 'Come on hinata. Pull. Yourself. Together. You can do this. It wont be so bad.' She told herself. She made herself believe it. She put on her bravest face. She was an heiress. A hyuuga. She could do anything. She forced herself to get up and took a fast pace towards her destination. There was no turning back now.

Hinata had reached Suna in relatively good timing. When she saw Temari and Kankuro waiting to greet her at the gate she gave them a small smile. The pair exchanged looks and then turned their attention back to her. It was Temari that spoke. "We were expecting Neji." She said with a certain nonchalance.

Hinatas smile faltered a bit. The situation was quickly becoming awkward. Kankuro jabbed his sister harshly with his elbow. She gave him a nasty look and spoke again. "Anyway welcome to Suna. We will show you where you will be staying." She muttered with obviously false enthusiasm.

On the way to the kazekage tower Hinata had become so hot she couldn't stand it any longer. She had to take off her coat or else she was going to die from a heat stroke. Temari gave her a side long glance and snorted. This only caused Hinata to feel even more self conscious as she tied her coat around her waist. She was certainly regretting the rather revealing mesh undershirt and wrappings she usually sported.

She was exceptionally relieved when they had at last reached the tower. Her hair was plastered to her head with sweat and she looked like hell. The siblings wasted no time showing her to her room. Hinata was less than thrilled about all the stairs to get to this hallway, but at least it seemed easy enough to find. "This is where you'll be staying. Dinner is in about an hour so wash up." Temari sighed and handed her a room key and with that she was gone.

Hinata fumbled with the keys for what seemed like forever before she finally got the door unlocked. Once inside she was awestruck. The room was beautiful. Creme colored walls with maroon curtains and a beautiful canopy bed that was dark and rich mahogany. The accent curtains were maroon as well and the blankets followed the color scheme. There was big double doors leading out to a balcony and a stylish couch and coffee table adjacent from the walk in closet. Probably one of the most noteworthy things about the room was the big painting of the city that hung on the wall.

Hinata closed the door behind her and made her way to the bathroom. The best was truly saved for last. There was a clawfoot bathtub raised in the middle of the room and a huge vanity along with a completely separate shower. Hinata had stepped into a better homes and gardens snapshot. The hidden sand village sure knew how to do things in style.

Hinata didn't have the time to take a bath. She would have to wait until later to use that amazing bathtub which disappointed her a little bit but a shower would still be relaxing and get the job done. She made quick work of stripping down and was grateful the shower wasn't overly complicated. After taking a moment to appreciate that the bathroom was fully stocked with good shampoo and such, she got to work scrubbing all the grit off of her.

After she had finished she sat in front of all the clothing she had brought in a state of panic. She didn't know if the dinner party was going to be casual or formal. She had to decide and quick because otherwise she would be late and that would reflect badly. She decided impulsivly on a semi-formal purple dress and threw it on in a hurry. She brushed her hair as fast as she could and made her way out the door and down the stairs.

When she finally found the dinner hall there wasnt a moment to spare. She took her seat and sighed in relief. Only then she took in her surroundings. The first thing she noticed was that it was only Kankuro and Temari. The second thing she noticed was that they were both dressed exceptionally casually. Like Kankuro was wearing pajama bottoms casually. Hinata mentally slapped herself. The pair snickered at her and Temari spoke as Gaara entered the room. "Nice dress. You going out after this?" Hinata knew Temari was only poking fun but she turned flushed red with embarrassment anyway.

When Hinata noticed Gaara her breath caught. He too was dressed very casually. He looked pretty shocked to see her though. She guessed that nobody had bothered to tell him that she was here in nejis place. He cleared his throat and sat down. "Hinata, its nice to see you. You look lovely as always. I am sorry I was a bit late. If I would've known you would be here I would've made more an effort to be on time." The red head spoke using his diplomatic voice, but the blush he wore was only noticed by his siblings.

Hinata, tomato red herself, spoke quietly. "Thank you, Kazekage-sama. You have a beautiful home."

The man smiled and gave her a curt nod. Temari could be heard snickering and snorting from her end of the table the whole time he was talking. It was obvious her littest brother was putting on the dog, and it was even more hilarious given the fact that they were all dressed like bums save for Hinata. Kankuro kept talking like a rich aristocrat the whole night too obviously making fun of the two. Gaara seemed unfazed by their antics but poor Hinata was hanging on by a thread.

The heiress finally reached her boiling point when she ask for the salt. Kankuro smiled cat like and handed it to her. But not before responding. "Sure thing madam. Isnt it a lovely day to be living in such high society?" He ask unaware of how stupid he sounded or how pissed the small girl had become.

When she didnt respond or take the salt his face fell. The longer the pause the more scared he became. Hinata ever so slowly picked up her very heavy crystal cup and without warning launched it at the eldest brothers head. Luckily he moved just in time to dodge it but that didnt stop the spoon from bouncing directly off his forehead. Temari fell out of her chair she was laughing so hard.

When Hinata had finally ran out of things to throw at him she calmed down a bit and looked around at the mess she had made. There were peas all over the floor. Both her and kankuros chairs were knocked over. She had broken all her dishes. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before turning to the very shocked Gaara. He looked almost fearful but at the same time there was something about him that gave off the impression that he was teeming with excitement.

"Thank you for the lovely dinner Kazekage-sama." Hinata said with as much politeness and sweetness as she could muster. She then turned and promptly left the dining hall.

After Temari had got done laughing she righted herself and grinned. "I like her. The kids got spunk."

Gaara, who was still looking after her in awe, spoke suddenly and in a very vacant sort of way. "I think I am in love."

Temaris grin slipped into a full blown smile. She knew that her little brother probably hadnt intended to say that out loud and probably hadnt even noticed he did. "Well I guess things are gonna get pretty interesting around here for once."

Suddenly they were interrupted by Kankuro shouting from under the table. "Are you guys kidding me?! She tried to freaking kill me."

Temari sighed but the smile didnt leave her face. Yep, things were gonna get pretty interesting indeed.

 **Authors notes: hey guys. Sorry its been a few months. This chapter was really fun to write though. I hope you enjoy reading it.**


	8. Chapter 8

Hinata slammed the heavy wooden door behind her. The sound reverberated through her room and down the empty corridor on the other side. She felt like an absolute idiot. Not only was there the whole being entirely overdressed thing but then she had made a huge mess in front of the village leader and assulted his brother. Assaulting the people from the village hidden in the sand was seeming to be a new trend. Her face turned scarlet at the memory of kissing the kazekage.

She slipped off the stupid dress and sighed, letting it fall on the floor. How on earth was she going to smooth this one over? She wouldn't be surprised if they ask her to leave tomorrow. Everyone would be so ashamed of her. She would probably even be disowned by her family. That thought was too horrid to bear.

She moved over to her bag and fished out her light purple silk pajama set and slipped it on. Deciding to try and take her mind off the whole situation she grabbed her book and make a feeble attempt at reading.

After about an hour had gone by she realized that she was retaining none of it. Her mind kept wandering back to the red haired man and the surprised look on his face. She doubted he made faces like that often and in the short time she had known him she managed to invoke that reaction not once, but twice. She almost felt proud of herself. If she wasn't so embarrassed she might have been.

Feeling her face heat up she decided to let some night air in hoping to cool the room down. She made her way to the double doors of her balcony and pushed them open. She took a few tentative steps forward and stopped. The view was breath taking. She could see the city in its entirety. All of the twinkling lights mirrored the stars above. It was a good deal bigger than konoha, and the sandy looking structures were so starkly different than home it made her breath catch.

As her eyes wandered to the upper left she realized that she could see the kazekage tower. To her surprise she noticed Gaara sitting with his back to her. His head was in his hands and he was looking over what she guessed was some important paperwork. She smiled to herself. He seemed so different than when she had first met him. Her mind floated back to the chunin exams and she shuddered.

But he didn't seem that way at all now. Hell he probably would've killed her for the first of her outburst, let alone the second. Briefly she wondered if he was angry at her for the mess. She sighed and rested her fold arms on the balcony. Her head atop them so that she could still see the man.

To her surprise his head turn slightly so that she could see his profile. Hinata gasped. Surely he didn't see her. Just as she was about to try and convince herself he was gone in the blink of an eye. This somewhat startled her and she rose and backed up.

The last thing she expected was to back up into something, well rather someone. She spun around lighting fast and found herself in a familiar position. Nose to nose with the kazekage. He really needed to stop doing that.

She stared at him with wide eyes. She felt like a deer caught in headlights. Her face flushed 100 shades of red.

"Hinata-chan, it is rude to stare. You were making it hard for me to work." He said softly.

The small smile on his lips made it obvious that he wasn't serious. He looked on in mild amusement as she sputtered for a response. He was surprised yet again when the girl went down like a sack of potatoes, clipping her head on the iron bars of the balcony. This girl was just full of surprises.

The first thing that registered to Hinata when she awoke was her head. It felt like it had been squished by elephants. Slowly she opened her pale eyes. The sunlight in the room was blinding. She sat up and looked around the room. It almost looked normal, but then she realized, doing a double take, that Gaara was sitting slumped over on the couch.

The events of the previous night came flooding back to her. She felt her chest swell at the realization that he had yet again carried her rather than leaving her where she had fallen. Maybe the other girls had been right. Maybe he did like her. With that small revelation came a little glimmer of hope. She wore a small smile as she slipped out of bed.

The little bit of noise that action made caused the red heads eyes to flick open. Their eyes locked and he frowned. "Hinata, you shouldn't get up. You hit your head pretty hard." He said softly.

She smiled lightly. "Its okay. I am use to it." Her voice sounded way too chipper and mentally she cursed herself.

The kazekage didn't seem to mind or notice. He rose and stretched. "Breakfast should be ready." He muttered as he did so.

Hinata nodded. Her stomach spoke for her as it let out a soft growl. Embarrassed, she wrapped her arms around it and flushed. He chuckled lightly to her surprise and moved towards the door leading the way. Just before they crossed the threshold he stopped and looked over his shoulder at her.

"Are you sure you don't want to change into your ball gown?" He teased.

Hinata huffed and playfully slapped him. He laughed softly again. Hinata quickly decided that she liked to hear him laugh. Even though he didn't do it nearly often enough.

As they stepped out of the hallway the other two sand siblings were making their way to breakfast as well. They both looked amused and Kankuro wiggled his eyebrows at the two but nobody said anything. Hinata went red at what he was implying and instinctively Gaara moved to catch the girl if she fainted but it never came.

Breakfast came and went without incident. It was amazing. The absolute best pancakes that Hinata ever had. She managed to eat three of them along with some scrambled eggs and a couple strips of bacon. She was extremely full when she left the dining hall.

She was going to meet with the council for the first time today. She was more than a bit nervous. She was excited though, to finally use that large bathtub. She spent a great amount of time in it relaxing and reading over her mission scroll to be prepared. Unfortunately she could only focus for small periods of time because her thoughts kept floating back to Gaara. She wondered what he was doing now and why he had stayed with her all night. She felt giddy and excited that he was going to be at the meeting.

Finally after her fingers looked like raisins she washed her hair and body. Then she stepped out and dressed. This time confident that she was wearing the appropriate attire she made quick work of brushing her hair. After giving herself another once over in the mirror she sighed and headed towards the door feeling confident and ready.

 **Authors notes: Hey guys. This chapter isnt the best. I am gonna try and wrap this up within the next couple of chapters because I have a few ideas for some different fics that im pretty excited about. I wanted to finish this one first though because otherwise I probably wont finish it.**


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